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Blackbeard's Treasure
During
the “Golden Age of Piracy”, the Spanish were plundering all of the gold,
silver, and jewelry they could find in Mexico and South America.
The pirates were always on the lookout for these rich treasure ships that
were sailing back to Spain. Although on occasion pirates would bury their loot, most often the plunder was sold and the profits divided and quickly spent in the many taverns of the Caribbean. Some pirates had families and would send their share home. Gold and silver was not the only treasure being taken by the pirates. Goods such as sugar, rum, and cocoa were the prize. The pirates could resell these items at a very low price without the high taxes being levied by the governments of Europe. Unfortunately, the easy resale of goods only encouraged the act of piracy. When Blackbeard was killed, 25 hogshead of sugar, 11 tierces (casks containing about 304 -330 pounds) and 145 bags of cocoa, a barrel of indigo, and a bale of cotton was confiscated by Lt. Maynard to be taken back to Virginia and sold at auction. 
“Teach's Oak” near Oriental, “Holiday’s Island” in the Chowan River, “The Old Brick House” near Elizabeth City, and the southern end of Ocracoke Island are among the places in North Carolina that Blackbeard was supposed to have buried his treasure. On the night before the final battle, one of Blackbeard’s crew asked him if Mrs. Teach knew where he had buried his money. His reply was that “nobody but himself and the devil knew where it was and the longest liver should take it all”. Blackbeard was a notorious spendthrift and it is unlikely that any treasure he may have buried stayed buried for very long. No large cache of gold or money has ever been found. |
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